as hard as he can to repackage the some ideas. >> and he has, i think president clinton called it, the brass to call it change. we know what change looks like. and what governor romney is selling ain't it. giving more powers to the biggest banks is not change. giving tax cuts to the wealthy is not change. refusing to answer questions about the details of your policies until after the election, that definitely is not change. ruling out compromise by pledging to rubber-stamp the two party folks in congress. that is not change it. changing the facts when it is convenient to your campaign, not change. i mean, that's old.

that's the attitude in washington that needs to change. now, virginia, after four years as president, you know me. you know me. so when you're trying to sort through this argument about change, part of what you have to ask yourself is, who do you trust? when you are talking about the economy and policy that is so critical to our future, you've got to ask yourself, who do you trust? you may not agree with every decision i have made -- michele does not agree with every decision i have made. there may be times when you are frustrated at the pace of change. i am frustrated sometimes with the pace of change. but you know i mean what i say

and i say what i mean. you know what i believe, you know where i stand, what i said we would end the war in iraq, we ended it. what i said we would pass health care reform, we passed it. when i said we would repeal do not ask do not tell, we repeal that. you know i tell the truth. and most importantly, you know i will fight for you and your families every single day as hard as i know how. so let me tell you, i know what will change looks like because i fought for. i have got the scars to prove it and you have, too. we cannot give up on that now. we have got to keep pushing for. that is why i'm running for a second term. that is why i need your vote.

>> four more years! four more years! >> now, virginia, let me describe briefly -- i know folks are cold. let me describe what am i talking about when i talk about forward? what do i mean by real change? the change is a country where every american has a shot at a great education. now, government alone cannot do that. parents, students, you have to study. but do not tell me that hiring more teachers without help our economy grow. do not tell me that students cannot afford college should borrow money from their parents. that was not an option for me or bill clinton. i will bet it is not an option for a lot you. that's why i want to cut the growth of tuition in half over

the next 10 years. that is why i want to recruit 100,000 math and science teachers so we do not fall behind. that is why i want to train 2 million americans at community colleges to get the skills businesses are hiring for now. that's real change. that is what we're fighting for in this election. that is what is at stake. i want us to live up to this country's legacy of innovation. i am proud i have been with the american workers and the american auto industry. we are not just building cars again. we are building better cars, cars that by the middle of the next decade will go out twice as far on a gallon of gas. that kind of innovation, that kind of forward-thinking, it is not restricted to the auto industry. i want to bring manufacturing back. we have thousands of workers building long-lasting batteries, building wind turbines across the country. instead of subsidizing oil

companies, profits, when they are making money hand over fist, i want to support energy jobs of tomorrow. which will cut our oil imports in half and held our environment, our national security. i do not want a tax code that will reward companies for creating jobs overseas. i want to reward companies creating those jobs in virginia. that is the future i see for this country. change is turning the page on a decade of war so we get so sick -- focus on nation-building at home. we will pursue our enemies with the strongest military the world has ever known. and virginia carries more than its load when it comes to defending this country. and we are grateful to this state. but we also understand to be strong, it is time to use some of the savings from winding down two wars to pay down our debt. fixing roads, putting folks back to work, rebuilding bridges,

making sure schools are state of the art. and that is especially important for our veterans. we want to put them to work because if they fought for our work country and defend our freedom, they should not have to fight for a job when they cco me home. that is what is at stake in this election. and president clinton talked about it. we have to reduce our deficit -- deficit. we have to do it and a balanced way. i have $1 trillion of spending -- i caught $1 trillion of spending. once you get in office like it does noteney said, matter. we need to ask the wealthiest americans to go back to the tax rates they pay when president clinton was in office. the reason is that budget is about choices, priorities. as long as i am president, i

will not turn medicare into a voucher to pay for another millionaire tax cut. so, virginia, we know what changes. we know what the future requires. we know also that it will not be easy. back in 2008 i talked about this. i warned some of the. maybe you were not believing me. i said change, real change is not just about changing presidents or changing parties. it is about changing our policy is. i ran because the voice of the american people, your voice, had been shut out of our democracy by lobbyists and special interests and politicians who are willing to say and do anything to keep things the way they are. the protectors, the guardians of the status quo. and that status quo and washington has fought us every step of the way over the last four years. they spent millions of dollars trying to prevent us from reforming health care, millions of trying to prevent us from

reforming wall street. they engineered a strategy of gridlock in congress. refusing to compromise on ideas that in the past both democrats and republicans have supported. and what they are counting on now is that you are going to be so worn down by all the squabbling, so tired of the dysfunction, so weary of what goes on on capitol hill that you will give up. and walk away. and put them back in power. let them stay there. in other words, their bet is on cynicism. but, virginia, my bet is on you. and the decency and the good sense of the american people. and it is not a partisan but i am making. when the other party has been willing to work with me to help the middle class, i am right there with them. i am happy about it.

i would have less gray hair if they are ready to go. come on. when we cut taxes for middle- class families and small business, we had some republicans for it. that was great. we had some courageous republican senators work with us to repeal "don't ask, don't tell". we celebrated that. we embraced them. i will work with anybody of any party that will move this country for. virginia, if you want to break the gridlock in congress, you will vote for leaders like tim kaine who feel the same way, whether they are democrats, republicans or independent. leaders who will put people first and put the election aside for a moment. but we are still going to have some fights. because there are some values that are at stake, some principles we have got to fight for. if the price of peace in washington is cutting deals that will kick students of financial late or get rid of funding for

planned parenthood or discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions or a limited health care for millions on medicaid who are poor or elderly or disabled or kick kids off of head start, i'm not buying that. that is the price i am willing to pay. that is not bipartisanship. that is not change. that is surrendered to the same status quo that has hurt middle- class families and everybody who is striving to get into the middle class for t a long. and, virginia, i am here and running for a second term because i am not ready to give up on that fight. i'm not ready to give up on that fight, and i hope you are not, either. >> no! >> you know, the folks at the top of this country do not need another champion in washington. there will always have season tables and access and influence, regardless of who was present. they will find a way to have

their voices heard. they have money they can spend, lobbyist they can hire. the people that need a champion are the americans whose letters are read late at night after a long day in the office. the men and women i meet on the campaign trail every day. the laid off furniture worker who had to retrain at the age of 55 for a new career and a new industry. she needs a champion. the restaurant owner who's got great food but needs a loan to expand and the bank turned down. he needs a champion. that cooks and the wait staff and the cleaning staff working overtime in some vegas hotel tried to save enough to buy a first call or send their kids to college, they need champions. the autoworker who got laid off and thought the plan would never reopen and now is back on the job, filled with pride and dignity, not because he is building a great car but he knows he is building america.

he need a champion. that teacher who is in an overcrowded classroom, digging into our own pocket for school supplies -- her own pocket for school supplies, not getting the support she needs, but knowing every day she is a touching that one child. she needs a champion. all those kids in inner-city and small farm towns, the valleys of ohio, and these rolling virginia hills, kids dreaming of becoming scientists or doctors or diplomats or businessmen or even of president, they need a champion in washington because they do not have lobbyists. the future never has lobbyists. but it is the dreams of those children that will be are saving grace. that's why i need you, virginia.

to make sure their voices are heard. to make sure your voices are heard. we have come too far to turn back now. ur've come too far to let o hearts grow fainter. now is the time to keep pushing forward. educate all our kids, train our workers, create new jobs, rebuild the infrastructure, discover new sources of energy, grow our middle class, restore our democracy and make sure that no matter who you are, but no matter where you come from or what you look like it, no matter what your last name is or will you love, you can make it in america if you try. -- no matter who you love, you can make in america if you try. and, virginia, that is why i am asking for your votes. you know, i was backstage with david plouffe.

ofs sort of mastermind campaign organization. we were talking about how as the campaign goes on, we become less relevant. i'm sort of a prop in the campaign. he's just bothering a bunch of folks, calling, asking what is going on. but the power, the power is not with us anymore. the planning, everything we do, it does not matter because now it is up to you. it's up to the volunteers. it's up to somebody knocking on the door. it's up to somebody making a phone call. it is up to somebody talking to their mom or dad or their wife or their husband or grandma or grandpa and that's how democracy is supposed to be. it's up to you. you've got the power.

nd that's why i need you, virginia. do not get tired. don't get weary. if you are willing to knock on some doors with me and make some phone calls for me, grabbed some friends for me, turn out the vote for me, we'll win, virginia. we will win this election, finish what we started, move forward. together we will reaffirm the spirit that makes the united states of america the greatest nation on earth. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. ♪ ♪ [cheering] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national

cable satellite corp. 2012] 't stop thinking about tomorrow" playing] ♪ ♪ [cheering]

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♪ ♪ ["signed, sealed, delivered" playing]

♪ >> president obama, the fourth of four states he has been in today, campaigning in bristow, virginia, west of the nation's capital. wrapping up his speech. speaking ahead of him was bill clinton who had been crisscrossing the country speaking for president obama. the last campaign event of the day for the president. we will show you mitt romney's last campaign event of the day and a little bit. first, we will open up the phone lines. here are the numbers -- 585-3885. 202- republicans, 202-585-3886.

joanie is on the line from warren, michigan. go ahead. caller: i wanted to say that i believe president obama has done an outstanding job in four years nos been in office with help from the republican party speaking about going over the aisle. i believe in this president. he has done everything that he could possibly do for the economy. and he is moving forward. he's creating new jobs. not only that, he is training people to fit into these new jobs and lower interest rates for our college kids. host: did you early vote? not.r: i have

i will be voting on tuesday. caller: from queens. it is really amazing. obama, it is just like eli manning in a giants quarterback. he is finishing the job in the final minutes. for me, the obama now becomes an example of a person who has to do something. especially about what happened on the east coast with a loss of life and property. the way he handled himself. the way he organized the federal government to help our area it is fascinating. host: were you affected by hurricane sandy there? caller: the lower part of queens was affected. we have many friends and we talk to each other daily. what i like about this man is we know we should not agree with

obama 100%. the alternative we have an hour -- romney lying about all of the records. host: we showed you mitt romney's even in englewood, colorado in a little bit. the president working the rope line in bristow, virginia. jiffy lube live the name of the auditorium. this is jill in littleton, colorado. go ahead. caller: hi. i would just like to say that i completely support obama. i lost my job in 2007. instead of laying down and crying, i pulled up my bootstraps, i opened the business in construction. i employ nine people. my son was able to go to college. he now makes a good income. he will one day be middle class. i would like to sit thank you, obama. i'm behind you 100%. host: president obama working

his way through the rope line as we continue to take your calls. it will be another busy day tomorrow on the campaign trail for both candidates. to give you a snapshot of our coverage tomorrow, we will cover vice president joe barton and lakewood, ohio, about 11:15. bob mcdonnell, governor of virginia, with two of romney's sons in sterling, virginia. president obama in hollywood, fla. tomorrow. in the afternoon, mitt romney in morris phil, pennsylvania. back to our calls -- and pleasant ridge, in. janice on our republican line. caller: he appealed to the american people, being for military families, a navy seal of families.

we have a navy seal that lost his life. we are troubled the american people do not understand what went on in benghazi. we know because we are in close contact with two navy seals who, and one who perished. in the speech that obama made, when he was with chris christie, he said we will not leave anyone behind. they left -- woods, glenn doherty, ambassador stevens behind to die in benghazi. i encourage everyone to watch -- janine on 214 tonight. and other reports on the weekend about this because the primary job of our commander in chief is to take care of our national security.

most are very angry at this president. host: one of the reporters is michael bryan of nbc news who writes about the final words of the president. he tweets, "almost as if obama is a growing wistful. as the campaign goes on, we become less relevant. i'm a prop in the campaign." our republican line, this is linda. linda callings is from oklahoma. i have listened to both candidates today. and i am very disappointed. i am ashamed to say i voted for obama last time. i will not vote for that man this time because of my personal household, i am unemployed, single household income. and it is rough here. i would recommended nobody vote

for obama again. i was a marketing coordinator for one of our native american casinos. i had a very good income. lost that job. i am caucasian. and i have -- could not find it. i can find work but it is not enough to cover the bills. host: jonathan weisman of "the new york times" tweeting about this schedule. on monday, bill clinton will barnstorm through pennsylvania, pittsburgh, and philadelphia. how will he be able to talk by then? marie in georgia on our independents line. go ahead. caller: i am independent. i am watching a lot of what is going on and watched all the debates.

i live in georgia, who is surrounded by a number of military bases. i'm also hearing a lot about benghazi and the purposeful cover-up from president obama. i watched bill clinton speak today and his wife being secretary of state. they support obviously the cover-up ought benghazi and the murder of our ambassador and the field people who should be named as heroes, i believe. i am also concerned about sequestration. but the thing that really, really has me very concerned is as i'm sitting here. i voted for obama last time. i am watching so much of the same rhetoric that was given in 2008.

telling that he would take care of this person and this person. how we are all supposed to be so happy that we are having change and some issues, we will be cared for. i never ever thought that our military would be the ones that would be hurt so badly. i got a question how i is an american citizen can go ahead and support an individual who will not support our military. support me as an american anywhere. host: marie from georgia on our independent line. you are watching the president wrapping up his campaign rally in bristow, virginia. his last event of the day. a full day of coverage it on c- span tomorrow. we are getting your phone call

reaction for the next couple of minutes. we will show you mitt romney's final event of the day momentarily. hang with us. daniel on our democrat line. caller: i am a democrat and i am very disappointed. first-time caller, by the way. host: thanks for calling. caller: i watched both closing argument speeches today, it is clear that we have a leader and we have an impostor. mitt romney came across as so polished, so professional. he knows what it takes to build the economy. i was taken by obama in 2008, but look at the record. he has not done anything. host: did you vote for him in 2008? caller: i did not vote in 2008, but my point is, look at his record. he is out there -- let's go,

four more years of this. it has been a total disaster. we have got another candidate and i'm embarrassed to be a democrat. we have got a guy who is a leader, accomplished. he's going to get the job done from day one. so i look at it this way -- i watch these shows and all the democrats are doing, they are attacking romney. where romney is coming out, he is totally positive, and he has got a plan. he knows what it takes to get this country going. so is two different policies. do we want watch more years of this or do we want to make a change? obama was hope and change four years ago, but look at his record. it has been pathetic. i am really disappointed. i am a realist. i am a businessman. i am a small business owner.

and i look at -- there is only one way to look. host: ca ll from ohio. we go to virginia next. bruce in fairfax. one of the battleground states where it is a very close. who do you think is going to win? caller: i think president obama is going to win. host: why? caller: i think he has the momentum behind him. i think the people understand that poor mr. romney is nothing but of that u.s. flake. flake.but a vacuous i voted for eisenhower when i was a young man. i worked in california for a movie actor who wanted to become governor. and i've seen nothing but the

republican party in a degeneration mode. sarah palin. can you believe that? host: did you vote for ronald reagan in those years? caller: i voted for eisenhower. i voted for goldwater. the conscience of the conservative. now i see the degeneration of the republican party and it makes me sad because i believed in many of the principles. but the people that somehow they put forth by whatever forces there are controlling it, and i have no clue as to who is controlling it, it just dismays me and breaks my heart. host: let's hear from louis in oxon hill, md., on our independent line. caller: i'm going to vote for president obama. i believe in his vision. as a student, -- his prospects

are so great for the country. every student should vote for him. in 2008, i voted for president obama and i am so pumped up again. i am so motivated. i am going to vote for president obama. i think mitt romney has nothing to offer the country. and i really feel president obama will win. he has my vote. host: we lost you there, luisa. but thanks for calling in. this event wraps up a long day for president obama. another long day tomorrow. our coverage throughout the day, we will go over all day throughout the day. road to the white house coverage. wayne, michigan is next on our democrats aligned. joseph, hi there. there?re you caller: you talking to me? host: make sure you mute your

tv. down.: i wll turill turn it i am a 77-year-old. host: i'm going to put you on hold and make sure you mute your set. bill in oakland, california on our independence line. caller: i want to say my opinion. oakland, this city, has freaking awesome. host: we'll go back to joseph in wayne, michigan. caller: i voted for obama four years ago. ballot iny absentee , and i voted for him.

i voted for few independents. i am really concerned about one thing. i ignore all the lies and i look for people who live a least. and his crewmney did not fall into that category all the way back when they're talking about medicaid. these peopl,e ae are liars. i have been trying to get a hold of obama. i sent a registered letter. it went overnight. host: try to get a couple more calls here as we wrap up to jane in alexandria, virginia. the president and former president clinton leading jiffy lube live arena. go ahead, jane. will get a couple of calls here. caller: hi. ny name is jane.

i definitely will be voting for obama. he has given his best shot. the republicans have not helped him, have not worked with him well. he deserves another chance. mitt romney has lied about a lot of things and he changed his mind about a lot of things and i do not think we should trust him to lead our country. so i think all democrats should go out and vote in all independence should vote for obama. host: one more call on our independent line. where are you calling from? caller: hi. i'm in illinois. i watched both speeches today, romney and obama's stump speech. and romney came across to me as somebody who has a plan, but he was not biting and as mean- spirited as the president. the president came across as

mean-spirited. with that type of attitude, i am not sure that he is going to be able to work across the aisle like he says he is. he did not demonstrate that in four years. he certainly did not demonstrate that he would have that ability to do that tonight. host: thanks for all your calls this evening. you can comment online using the #cspan2012. live road to the white house withrage begins at 11t:15 the vice president joe biden and lakewood, ohio. then governor mcdonnell will be joined by two of romney y's son. president obama is in hollywood, fla.. his second to last up for mitt romney is in morris ville,

pennsylvania. we will have that on c-span, c- span.org and some on c-span radio as well. earlier this evening in englewood, colorado, mitt and ann romney wrapped up their campaign day in a larger arena before 17,000 fans. the denver post says this is the largest campaign rally the romney campaign has had in the state of colorado. it is about 35 minutes. ♪ ♪ >> i was born free i was born free

i was born free born free free ♪ [applause] >> thank you, colorado. wow. thank you. i'd like to introduce someone to you. i'd like to introduce the next first lady of the united states, ann romney. [applause] >> that is the most extraordinary welcome. thank you, colorado.

we are getting closer and closer. this is getting very exciting. this is what -- >> three more days! three more days! three more days! >> it is. it's only three more days. this is so exciting for us. it is a thrill to be here. what a great country this is and what an honor it has been to go across this nation and to meet people like you that are here standing up today for america. [applause] >> three more days! three more days! >> you got her. you got her.

>> we have such -- had a such a thrill to go across this country but that journey is coming to a close and a new journey is about to begin. and what a thrill it is going to be because i know something about mitt. he does not fail. in our marriage, he has stood by me in my darkest hour. as you know, i have had some difficulties. and where has mitt been? standing by my side. as a father, i have seen him show exemplary courage and devotion to his family and to this sons. he has raised the most extraordinary sons.

i have seen him in business be everything, the most exceptional business leader and turn things around, and now what i am excited about is the next turn around in his chapter of his career. and it is going to start next tuesday with your help. thank you very much. >> tonight, we are entering the final weekend of the campaign and you are right -- at the obama rally, they are shouting four more years and we are shouting three more days.

we are so grateful to you and to the people across the country for all you have given of yourselves to this campaign. this is not just about paul ryan and me. it is about america. it is about the future we will leave our children. we thank you and we ask you to stay at it until we win on tuesday night. now, the closing hours of a campaign have a dynamic all their own. many voters have already made up their minds. i figure you guys are. you know what you are going to do. there are others who are putting aside the demands of daily living and they are considering who to vote for and how that vote will affect their lives and the lives of their children and the course of the country we love.

and we ask them to look beyond the speeches and the attacks and the ads. look to the records, the cosmos, the failures, and the judgments, -- the accomplishments -- because words are cheap. the record is real and it is earned with effort. change can't be measured in speeches. it is measured in achievements. and four years ago, candidate obama promised to do so very much. but he has fallen so very short. i mean, he promised he would be a post-partisan president. but he has been most partisan. dividing, attacking, blaming. he was going to focus on creating jobs. instead he focused on creating a obama-care to kill jobs.

he said he was going to cut the federal deficit in half but then he doubled that. then he said he would bring the unemployment rate down to 5.2% by now. we learned on friday it is 7.9%. it is 9 million jobs short of what he promised. and unemployment today is higher than when barack obama took office. by the way, he also promised he would propose a plan by now to save social security and medicare. he did not. rather, he raided $716 billion from the medicare to pay for obama-care. the list goes on. he said he would a lower health premiums by $2,000 a family. but instead they have gone up by $3,000 per family. the average american family

pays $2,000 a year more for gasoline than when president obama was elected. i will mention one more thing. he said he would work across the aisle on the most important issues. this is interesting. he has not met on the economy or on the budget or on jobs with the republican leader of the house or the senate since july. and so, instead of bridging the divide, he is making it wider. people wonder how is that he has fallen so short of what he promised. i think it is in part because he has never led, he has never worked across the aisle, he has never truly understood how jobs are created in this economy. by the way, he is making new promises. promises he will not be able to keep because he admits he is planning on staying on the same path. the same course we have been on will not lead to a better destination. the same path we are on means $20 trillion in debt at the end

of a second term that we will not have. it means crippling unemployment. it means stagnant take-home pay, depressed home values, a devastated military. unless we change course, we may be looking at another recession. so the question of this election comes down to this -- do you want more of the same or do you want real change? president obama promised change but he could not deliver change. i promise change and i have a record of achieving real change. i built a business, helped turn around another. i helped put an olympics back on track. and with a democrat legislature, i helped turn my state from deficit to surplus and from job losses to job growth and from higher taxes to

higher take-home pay. this is why i'm running for president. i know how to change the course of the nation. i know how to get to a balanced budget that build the jobs and to get a rise in take-home pay. accomplishing change is not something i talk about it is something i have done. and it is what i will do when i am president of the united states with your help. now, if you believe we can do better, if you believe america should be on a better course, if you are tired of being tired, then i ask you to vote for real change. paul ryan and i will bring real

change to america from day one. when i'm elected the economy and american jobs will be stagnant, but i will not waste any time complaining about my predecessor. i won't spend my time trying to pass partisan legislation that is unrelated to jobs. from day one i am going to work to put americans back to work. now, you know as well as i do that people across the country are responding to our five point plan to create jobs. part one is about taking full advantage of our energy resources. on day one, i'm going to

increase the number of leases and permits to drill on federal land. and i will act to speed the approval of the keystone pipeline from canada. now, secondly, i will boost trade, with latin america. and i will finally designate china as a currency manipulator because it is time to trade -- for america. -- time that traadde works for americans. now, third, i want to send to congress the retraining and reform act to make sure every worker has the skills they need for a good-paying job. fourth, i will move to tackle out of control spending. i will send congress the first of several fundamental reforms called the down payment of fiscal sanity act.

and in this act, we will not just slow down the rate of government and its spending but i will cut spending. you see, i'm not going to just take office on january 20. i will take responsibility as well. number five, i am going to act to boost small business and all business. i will issue executive orders aimed at the problems that are holding back the economy. in the first of those is going to grant state waivers from obama-care to begin its repeal. and the second is going to launch a review of all of the

obama regulations and i will eliminate or repair those that are killing american jobs. and for the first time in four years, every entrepreneur, every small business person, every job creator will know that the president of the united states likes them and loves the jobs and higher wages they bring to america. we've almost forgotten what a real recovery looks like. what americans can achieve when we limit government instead of limiting the dreams of our fellow americans. and that is about to change. now, the people who will be

voting will be able to choose the future they want. you can stay on the path of the last four years or you can choose a real change. you know if the president is reelected, he will still be unable to work with people in congress. he has ignored them. he has blamed them and attacked them. the debt ceiling is going to come up again and shut down and the fault will be threatened. -- default will be threatened. the president was right when he said he cannot change washington from the inside. in this case, we can take him at his word. he has got to go on the outside. you see, when i'm elected -- when i am elected -- i'm going to work with republicans and democrats in congress. i am going to meet regularly

with their leaders and endeavor to find good men and women on both sides of the aisle who care more about the country than they do about politics. now, you also know that if the president were to be reelected, he will continue his war on coal and oil and natural gas. all of that would guarantee higher energy prices and fewer jobs as well. when i am elected, we will change course on energy. i know how much energy means to middle-class families struggling to get by. we can hold down prices at the pump and grow new jobs with energy that includes coal, oil, gas, nuclear, and renewables. you know, that if the president were to be reelected, he would continue to promote government and demote business.

he chose his own jobs counsel,-- council, you know. it was made up of leaders from business leaders across the country. he wanted their advice on the biggest issue of the time -- creating jobs and a stronger economy. the you know how long it has been since he met with them? nine months. look, i see free enterprise as a means for people to fulfill their dreams. and so, by the way, the other day, i was in richmond, virginia and i met with someone named rhonda elliott. she has been running her family restaurant business -- bill's barbecue. been in her family for 82 years. at its high point, it employed 200 people. she closed it down. she told me the obama economy put her out of business. she teared up. this was not about money.

this is about the future of her family and the employees she cares about. i want to help the hundreds of thousands of people like rhoda and i will. now, you know that if the president were to be reelected, he will say every good thing he can about education, but in the final analysis, he will do what his largest campaign contributors do and that is public sector unions. they will insist upon their path. your kids would have the same schools with the same results. when i am president, i am going to be a voice for the children and parents because they do not have a union. i want to make sure the parents

have the information they need to know to find out whether their school is succeeding or failing. and i want to make sure they have the choice to pick the school where their child has the best chance for success. one more thing. under barack obama, or reelected president barack obama, our military will experience what the secretary of defense called devastating cuts which would jeopardize our national security as well as kill jobs. when i'm president, i will not cut our commitment to national defense. a strong america is the best ally pea's has ever known and i am keeping strong -- peace has ever known and i am keeping strong.

i've watched as our campaign has gathered the strength of the movement. it is not only the size of the crowds. this is an extraordinary crowd tonight. it's also the depth of our shared vision. -- shared conviction. it has made me strive more to be worthy of your support, to campaign as i would govern, to speak for the aspirations of all americans. i learned as governor of massachusetts the best achievements are shared achievements. i learned to respect and good will go a long way and are usually returned in kind. that is how i conduct myself as president. i will bring people together, doing big things for the common good. i will not just represent one party. i will represent one nation. >> u.s.a.!

u.s.a.! u.s.a.! >> now, as you know, throughout this campaign, president obama has tried to convince you these last four years have been a success. he's loading a plan for the next four years. he wants to take all the things he did in his first term -- the stimulus, obama-care -- and to try them all over again. look, our big dreams will not be satisfied with a small agenda that has already failed. yesterday, i imagine you heard this, yesterday president obama asked his supporters to vote for revenge. for revenge. instead, i ask the american

people to vote for love of country. >> u.s.a.! u.s.a.! >> together, we have got to lead america to a better place. now, we are three days away from a fresh start. three days away from the first day of a new beginning. i have an unshakable faith in the american spirit. if anyone is worried that the last four years are the best we can do, if there are any that have feared the american dream is fading away, any who wonder whether better jobs are things of the past, i have a clear and unequivocal message. with the right leadership america is about to come roaring back.

>> u.s.a.! u.s.a.! >> we are americans and we can do anything. the only thing that stands between us and some of the best years we have ever known is lack of leadership. that is why we have elections. you saw the differences between president obama and myself when we were side by side in our debates. he says it has to be this way. i say it cannot stay this way. he is offering excuses. i've got a plan. i cannot wait to get going. he is hoping we will settle. but americans do not settle. we build. we aspire. we listened to that voice inside this as we can do better, a better job, a better life for our kids, a bigger, better

country that is coming soon. three more days and we can get to work restoring our confidence and renewing our conviction, confidence that we are on a solid path to a steady improvement, confidence that college graduates four years from now will find a better job. the confidence that the single mother who is working two jobs will have a shot at a better job as well. now, my confidence in america and in our future stems from what i've seen in the hearts of the american people. we are people who are given to give ourselves to things larger than ourselves.

it says that a hero is not someone that is larger than life, just larger than himself. some years ago, i was serving as a boy scout leader in the boy scouts of america. i was at a court of honor. and there was a long table at the front of the room and i was seated next to the american flag. a person who was speaking at the podium was a scoutmaster we had flown in to tell his story, from monument, colorado. he said his boy scout troop wanted a special american flag. they bought one and they had it flown above the capitol building. when they came home, the boys said they would like to have nasa take it to the space shuttle. nasa agreed. you can imagine the pride of our boys as they were sitting in their rooms at school watching the tv sets as they saw the space challenger shuttle launch into the air.

and they saw it explode on the tv screen in front of their eyes. he called nasa and called week after week, had they found a remnant of the flag? month after month, still no remnant of the flag. he was reading an article that describes some of the debris from the challenger disaster and it mentioned a flag. nasa said they had a presentation to make to their boys. the boys were there and they presented the boys with this plastic container. inside was the american flag, their flag, in perfect condition. and he said, that's it at the end of the table next to mr.

romney. i grabbed that flag and held it out, and it was as if the electricity was running through my arm and i thought about all of the men and women in our space program who put themselves in danger's path out of a desire for learning, for us. this is the american way. think of our servicemen and women who put themselves in harm's way for freedom. i have not seen that flag in 15 or 20 years or that scoutmaster but monument, colorado, is not that far from here. would you please welcome that scoutmaster from monument, colorado? [applause]

>> thank you. >> thank you. now, did i get that story right? >> you did, sir. >> that is a great flag, representing the greatest nation in the history of the earth. thank you. thank you. isn't that something? i see a troop of scouts here. thanks, young men, for your service in the community. it is in the american spirit, this idea of giving to others. my sister is one of my life heroes.

she is in her 70's now. she has 8 children. seven of them are raised with children of their own. the youngest of those children was born with down's syndrome. jeffrey is 43. my sister lives as a single mother. her husband passed away a few years ago. she has devoted her life, over 43 years and over these last several years, to jeffrey and making sure he has an abundant life. she is a hero to me. think of all the single moms that are struggling to make sure they have what is necessary to put a good meal on the table at the end of the day. the moms and dads that are working two jobs. they hardly see each other but they want to make sure the kids have the kind of clothes they have at school so they do not stand out. think of the couples at christmas time who will say to each other, let's not exchange gifts.

let's make sure we have enough for our kids to have a great christmas. this is a nation of people that give of themselves for things bigger than themselves. on november 6, i want us to come together and draw on that greatness. and that on november 7, we are going to work. by the way, i want you to reach across the street to that neighbor on the other side of the street that has the yard sign for the other guy. and i want you to know i will reach across the aisle in washington to people of good faith in the other party. we have got to come together and work for the common good of this great nation. this is much more than our moment. it is america's moment of renewal and purpose and optimism. we have journeyed far and wide in this great campaign for america's future. now we're almost there. one final push will get us

there. we had a lot of short nights and long days. now we are close. the door to a brighter future is there and open, waiting for us. i need your vote, i need your work, i need your help. walk with me. let's walk together. thank you so very much, colorado. you guys are the best. thank you so very much. thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

♪ i was born free i was born free ♪

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i was born free i was born free ♪ >> with election day three days away, we will bring you to more live campaign events tomorrow on c-span. president obama and the hollywood, florida, at 3:40 p.m. eastern. followed by mitt romney in pennsylvania at 5:25 p.m. eastern. >> joining us is fred sainz, with the human rights campaign. we're talking about gay marriage being on the ballot.

why is that significant? >> for the first time we have the ability to take a talking point away from our opposition that marriage equality has never won at the ballot box. we have four races this year across the country. all very different. we stand very good chance for american equality to actually be affirmed the the first time in our nation's history. it is not only a historic moment in terms of our nation's history but a very important one for committed and loving gay and lesbian couples across the country who want nothing more than the freedom to marry. >> what states are involved? >> they are all very different. in three states, a yes vote would immediately be marriage quality. washington, maryland and maine. host: washington and maryland

prison made decisions on this question. caller: correct. legislators in those states passed a law into effect and catholic governors in both states signed the bills. both states have laws that allow citizens to referent the matter. that is the question that will be for boaters in november. activists in maine to a marriage equality to the ballot in november. those three states, a yes vote would result in marriage. in minnesota last year, a republican legislator in the midst of a budget crisis decided the wise thing to do would be to take up the issue of marriage equality instead of dealing with other problems. they put a measure on the ballot, a constitutional amendment that would prohibit

same-sex marriage. the legislature was able to refer directly to the ballot. that is what will appear on the ballot. host: what is a track record for states when they deal with this issue? guest: the vast majority of those ballot measures were on in to the tempore and 2006. that is when the largest number of them were on. if you look at polling trends and americans evolution on the issue, we have come light years. 2012 is an entirely different set of circumstances than it was in 2000 for and 2006. americans have come to know and appreciate a and lesbian couples and now understand in a more of

what way that gay and lesbian couples want nothing more than the freedom to marry and love and commit to one another. it is a different set of circumstances. that is why we think we have a historic opportunity this time to win those ballot measures. host: our guest with us, if you want to ask him questions, -- if you want to send us a tweet, it's cspanwj. talking about 2008, it was proposition 8 in california. talk about what happened there. guest: we really, marriage equality is the longer a part of an issue.

you look at socio-economic trends across the country, americans from all walks of life, republicans, democrats, catholics, episcopalians, of really all support marriage a quality in majority's right now. that is one of the largest evolution that has taken place since 2006 and 2008. but perhaps the most high- profile marriages quality battle took place in 2008 9in california around proposition 8. unfortunately we lost by 50 percentage points. as a result of that loss, -- by a few percentage points. as a result of that loss, a constitutional challenge was launched for the vote. on november 20, the court will decide whether or not to pick up the case. >host: a gallup poll showing 50%

of those who were polled say should be valid. guest: with in the last year, every poll has found support at 50% or above. if you look at trends over the course of the last 15 years, support for marriage a quality has increased by as many points. we go about 2 points a year. which is an incredible job. what that is reflective of as americans from all walks of life getting to know they're gay and lesbian neighbors, co-workers, brothers and sisters. in some cases parents. we found that as americans get to know us and find there is really common human bond in between us and them and we want nothing different than they do, growst for our equality

exponentially. host: the vice president for communications talking about it. first call from san antonio, texas. democrat. caller: it is horrible that the gentleman thinks 2 men and two women should be able to get married. marriage should be absolutely between a man and woman. and nothing else. i believe a people should have the right to live together and do what they want to do but i do not believe is right for two men or two women to be married. i think it is horrible. guest: i appreciate her point of view and it is a journey that a lot of americans are on. i do believe in law the fair

minded americans struggle with this issue. for us, this issue is really rooted in equality and whether or back gay and lesbian americans will be able to live as full citizens -- whether or not gay and lesbian americans will be able to live as full citizens. the concept of marriage is brooded at the federal law 1300 times -- is rooted in federal law 1300 times. so we are not looking for anything different. we are not looking to distinguish ourselves from our straight brothers and sisters. we are not looking to change the institution of marriage. we are merely looking to spain and the united states and our families and protect them. -- to strengthen the united

states and our families and protect them. we are always willing to meet americans where they are on equality and continue that conversation with them to explain to them by what we are doing is so incredibly important. not just to our own lives but to democracy in the united states. host: the state ballot issues? guest: we have been involved in all of them since the very beginning. we have invested $5 million into ballot initiatives. which also includes new york which got the freedom to mary last year as well as battles in new hampshire and a number of other states. we are on the cusp of equality in these four states. we have an amazing opportunity to demonstrate to americans that american -- marriage can win at the ballot box and achieve an

historic step for not just gay and lesbian americans but to strengthen and propel our democracy for. caller: good morning. my name is steve. north carolina. i am against -- against any laws banning gay marriage. he who is without sin cast the first an stone. they should have every right according to them under the constitution. guest: i appreciate what the caller -- the caller's sentiment. we are looking to do nothing more than be able to commit and of our significant other and be able to protect and build our families. to the extent that we have to

get into a discussion of laws and constitutional protections, so be it. but really it comes down to nothing more than the common human bond that we share with all americans, wanting to commit to our life partner and be able to protect them. to the extent that my parents were protected or my brother and sister in law and their child. we are looking for nothing more than to do that. i think americans see it as an extension of the golden rule we learned we were growing up. people of faith in large numbers now support marriage of quality because they believed to be an extension of their faith. to basically treat all equally. it becomes increasingly hard when you have a rational conversation on this issue to want to distinguish in between gay and lesbian americans and

everyone else. the arguments fall apart very quickly. people of faith, catholics support marriage equality by 60% wendy make clear to them that what you are really talking about is a civil marriage license that is issued at city hall and there are clear-cut religious protections that in no way shape or form compel any church or synagogue to allow gay and lesbian couples to get married. that support number goes up to 70%. we find that across all religious lines. this is an issue that is no mother/partisanship or religious lines -- that is no longer divided by partisanship or religious lines. it is an issue people can come to understand and support. host: york, independent line. go ahead. caller: i absolutely disagree

with what this guy is saying on a program right now. and i absolutely agree with the first caller. men should not be with men period. i live in new york state. i ride the subway all the time. the gays are constantly on the trains hugging, kissing. they have no respect for children. they have no respect for women. you have mayor bloomberg who just gave $10 million to the gay effort. this country is moving in the wrong direction. i am so upset with the spirit -- with this. look what happened to sandusky.

this is what i call the brainwashing of america. guest: are definitely appreciate the callers perspective. i obviously disagree. my parents are cuban immigrants to this country. i'm very proud american. i feel like a keyman -- like a gay man as much of it part of this country as anyone else. we want nothing more than the ability to be able to commit to our life partner and the fully part of american society. from the perspective, the freedom to mary and strengthen the institution of marriage is a part that we view as an extension of our citizenship. one of the things that has to find the movement for marriage a quality has been a very respectful conversation with

americans from all walks of life in order to explain and established a common human bonds we have with all americans. whether it be the caller with his perspective for the support -- the supporter from north carolina. we will continue to have that conversation. we understand the goal here is to continue to establish the common human bond. at the end of the day, i can assure him that i want nothing more from my family or my future than he wants for his. i do not want anything different. i do not want anything strange or uncommon. we share basic human values together. that is nothing more than the ability to love and commit to ours in the degette other and to have american law and society recognize and protect our families. there really is no different in britain wednesday and the thin americans want for themselves and went straight couples have

by now host: 1 not civil unions if it is equal as marriage? guest: it is not. it is a second-class institution. so unions -- civial unions are ok it into some states. i have a great deal of respect for the states that passed those but unfortunately, the word marriage is the only word recognized in federal law approximately 1300 times. so when it comes down to protecting our families, it is really only the institution of marriage, the right to marry that will give us those protections. we are on a journey here. we have to understand that we are looking to be treated as equal a in the eyes of the law and equal in terms of the common human bonds we share with all

americans. it is really only marriage they get to that equal standing with my straight brothers and sisters. host: what protections would be different? guest: the federal government has a lot of the defense of marriage act which basically means same-sex marriages conducted in the six states and the district of columbia that have marriage. for example, let's say a couple gets married in massachusetts and one of those partner dies. the federal government has a lot of the place that does not recognize that legal marriage. for the purposes of things like social security survivor benefits or internment in federal cemetery bore a number of laws having to do with tax treatment and things like that, that couple in the eyes of the federal government is not recognized as having been legally married. as you can appreciate in the case of death for some kind of damage turmoil, that often has led to the emotional and

financial devastation to that family. for federal law purposes, the word marriage and the institution of marriage is incredibly important. will the egos much deeper than that. it is wanting to be treated as equal citizens under the law. host: our next call from illinois. democrats line. caller: good morning. maybe if you just changed the wording of marriage to civilian, maybe -- civil union, you would get what you want to accomplish. the right to have decisions made by your partner in sickness and family issues and things like that. my belize are my beliefs but -- my beliefs are my beliefs and i

grew up into the deep south during segregation at for me to have freedom, you have to have freedom. we are a democracy. stop fixating on the word marriage. go on and go with the civilian and get new laws that would allow you to have everything in mary couple has under the law. -- a married couple has under the law. guest: i appreciate her perspective. what we're talking about here is a civil marriage license. it is a license that city hall gives you. marriage is an institution of -- what we're talking about is a civil marriage license. under all the states that are considering marriage and the states that have never equality right now, all of them have very clear cut protections that no religious institution has

compel them to perform a marriage for a same-sex couple that -- if they do not wish to do so. we're talking about a civil marriage license as opposed to something a church or synagogue would give you. i understand the premise. this is an issue that fair minded americans can disagree on. the concept is how we achieve a quality for all americans. civil unions are an important step on this journey towards marriage of all the quality and are not an equal institution. they did not provide for families with the protection and the equality that marriage provides. i think it kabul question -- while it is a thoughtful question, civil unions did not offer us equal treatment under the law. they are a different form of

separate but equal. we are looking for nothing more than to be treated the same as our straight brothers and sisters. host: ads running in washington state. get your reaction to it. >> referendum 74 is not about quality. gays and lesbians already have the same rights as married couples trade if we did find merit but marriage is more than a commitment between adults. it was created for the care and well-being of the next generation. when laws like 74 have occurred elsewhere, people who disagree faced losses, fines and punishment. you can oppose same-sex marriage and not the anti-gay. do not read the fine marriage. reject r74. guest: so this is an ad that -- virtually the same one is running in all four states. it is full of the same deceptive

lies we have seen our opponents use when attacking the issue of same-sex marriage. the ad is riddled with inaccuracies. host: the protections the ad says already exists. guest: to that extent, it is true but by no means do you -- to the protections apply equally to same-sex couples. it is not the same treatment as marriage affords. we are looking for the same treatment. the word marriage is really important to us in terms of being able to provide the same standing that our straight brothers and sisters get. going to the attacks in the ad that are really false, the ad makes you believe that in the six states and the district of columbia that have marriage a quality, there have been a number of different problems.

and there really have been none. along the way, they're always going to be issues here and there but we're talking about maybe one or two issues that definitely do not define the institution of marriage. for example, iowa has now marriage for four years and a colleague of mine says the kyles there are still giving milk, and puppies are still queued. nothing has changed. the only thing that has changed is that state and the other states that now offer marriage equality provide their citizens with a more equal and welcoming union. that is really the only difference and the between before marriage equality and after marriage equality. that is an issue the opponents of a quality do not want to face. they want to make it appear as if marriage equality will bring huge devastating effects.

they try to scare people into believing there will be an awful lot of problems. the truth is there will be no problems at all. the only net affect american ecology in the states would be a more -- net affect in the staets will be more equal america. it is an historic and important day for lgbt americans. the supreme court that it will conference on six cases. the first kid i mentioned is around the constitutional challenge to proposition 8 coming from california. then they will consider a case out of arizona around domestic partnership benefits. the incumbent governor is trying to take domestic partnership

benefits away from gay and lesbian employees of that state. the supreme court will consider for challenges to the defense of marriage act. we hope to note the following monday as to which if any of these cases the supreme court takes up. proposition 8, at the supreme court decides not to grant a search of that case, marriage to go into effect within a matter of days at the california. approximately 25% of the u.s. population would then be afforded marriage equality. of the sea in the case of domestic partnership benefits to errors and a government employees -- obviously in the case of domestic partnership benefits to employees in arizona. what it would result in is

nothing more than in the states that have merit equality, the federal government would have to recognize those marriages and offer the same benefits to the same sex legally married couples only in those states. the federal government recognizing legally valid same- sex marriages in those states for federal benefit purposes. host: fred sainz is with human rights campaign. this is citrus heights, california. republican. richard. go ahead. caller: i do not know where to start. this is so ridiculous that this man -- he has to plead his case and ask for human rights. first of all, i am a bit -- vietnam veteran. i am sure it as an arrow.

even though i am from california. believe it or not. and this poor guy has to come on and basically beg for the right to be happy and for his rights. we all have the same rights, i thought, this country. i do not understand this whole thing when people just deny other people their human rights. the pursuit of happiness and to be with the one the law. -- the one they love. if he marries somebody, how will it affect our hurt me? i did not understand. it frustrates me the beer spending tons of money on this -- that we are spending tons of money on this for basic human rights. guest: as a proud californian, i call.im for hhank him for his

i should make clear as well that gay and lesbian couples of being married in no way shape or form affects the marriages of our straight brothers and sisters. the marriage of a street couple until no way shape or form will be impacted by the marriage of love and gay and lesbian couples that want to get married. does nothing more than strengthen our democracy and allow us to protect and care for our families. but as i want to go a little further and say that marriage is the end of the headlines now. lgbt people across this country lack basic legal protections. it is legal and that the plant states in this country to be fired for being gay and did the 34 states based upon your gender identity. we do not have a federal law that for him but employment

nondiscrimination. in many ways, we are looking for nothing more than basic legal protections to be treated equally as americans. we still have a very long way to go. there is no doubt that we have come a long way since the riots 43 years ago but our community lacks a very basic level of protection across this country. that is what the human rights campaign fights for. we believe that our citizens, all citizens of our country, whether they be lgbt or st. deserved basic legal protection. the ability to work, to provide for your family, the ability to be treated equally. i think it was an incredibly historic moment almost two years ago when our congress repealed

don't ask don't tell. there we were talking about nothing more than very proud americans wanting to fight for and defend the country that they love. it seems right now almost kind of ridiculous that we would be talking about the fact that gay and lesbian service members would not be able to be out. they would be able to fight for their country and die for their country but they would not be able to do so in an honest way. that luckily has changed. but we still lack basic legal protections across this country. one of those is the freedom to marry the person that we love and want to protect. host: minnesota. derrick. independent line. caller: good morning. i did not know where to start.

until our country, we are very tolerant. i would hope to sit on the judging. judging. n gay pride parade to not look like family functions. i have an issue with it because i did not feel it is natural. i cannot know, maybe you can answer and give me some sort of education on this, but for the most part, naturally, animals in the wild, do they naturally go after their own sex to reproduce? i cannot think so. host: let me answer the caller

in direct terms. sexual -- put more simply, i was born this way. no different than street americans were born straight. one of the questions i always like to ask people, when did you choose to be straight? people think about that for three or four seconds and then they said i did not choose to be straight, i was born this way. the same applies to me. nothing happened. i did not have a conversation with myself and decide to be gay. god made me this way. and i am very proud of that. to the extent that we understand that the caller was born street and i was born gay and we are able to get over that understanding than i think we come to an easy conclusion that they both deserve to be treated equally. not just in terms of our common human relationships but definitely with the legal

protections our country affords. let me also speak to gay pride parade. this is an important subject. gay pride parades are no different than going to a straight bar and teen the diversity of st. americans. it is all over the map. those festivals are really nothing more than a bunch of people coming out and wanted to celebrate who they are. there is a huge diversity. there are people like me that show up in those shirts and ties and there are people that choose to dressed otherwise. i assure you that if we go to a iffair -- to a state fair, we will run into diversity from all walks of life. those events should not be taken out of context. it is just as easily to go to any kind of event and take people out of turn and try to make it into a generalization. nonetheless, americans from all walks of life, it should not

matter in terms of our ability to be treated fully equally as american citizens and enjoy the same rights and liberties and freedoms as all americans. i assure the caller that we are looking for nothing more than equal treatment under the law. at the end of the day, this is nothing more than a discussion about the golden rule. wanted to treat others as we would treat ourselves. host: what about president obama is employed on the same sex issue? stance on the same sex issue? guest: i think president obama was on the same journey many americans are which is thinking about the issue and and does some ways, he expressed

candidly that he expressed concern with the issue. he had a conversation with his daughter's and his wife and the understood that it was about the golden rule. so the president has been very thoughtful and announced that he supported same-sex marriage this year for committed gay and lesbian couples. the present has been incredibly courageous in expressing that point of view. -- the president has been incredibly courageous in expressing that point of view. in place is big and small across this country, work places, barbershops, people are continuing to have that

conversation. the president has accelerated that conversation. host: your thoughts on mitt romney should he become president? guest: this election offers a very stark difference. these two candidates could not be more different. that makes this an incredibly important election for lgbt americans and all americans. and the president obama, a we have the most supportive president in history when it comes to marriage equality or repealing don't act don't tell and signing hate crimes protection issues. putting in place over 25 important an impact full policy changes from hospital visitation to allowing folks into this country whose hiv

status was positive. really incredibly important affirmations for lgbt americans. with mitt romney, our community would go backwards. he supports a absolutely no measure of equality or -- for gay and lesbian americans. for our community, it is a very proud affirmation of this president's contributions to our country and wanting to see those advancements continue. host: georgia. democrats line. james. go ahead. caller: i am for the marriage. marriage. at tillich everyone has this labeling thing. putting everyone in this same category. you are gay or straight, if you are successful and have your own business and are doing things to help the world, then it should not matter who you mary --

marry. everyone has, should have the rights to do with it what to do. when it comes to something as who you love, it is a big deal. guest: i think the caller said it well. one of the things i like to talk about -- the concept of gay marriage is something that newspapers have come up with to have a quick have by terry we are not interested in game marriage. we are interested in marriage. we are looking for nothing more than equal treatment. a civil marriage license. i think the caller got it right. we are looking to be able to love and commit to the person that it wants to share our life with. it is really nothing more than that establishment of a common human body. that my parents share for over 40 years. americans from all walks of life and of religious backgrounds

share. we have seen americans really continue to be on that journey. the support is now at 50% or above and i think it will continue to see increases in those numbers as time goes by. i think most americans have gotten to the place where the this caller is which is understanding that we are not looking for anything that is a rare or separate here. we are looking to share an institution and be able to love and commit to are significant other. host: let's call from georgia. republican line. judy. caller: 5 believe our creator gave us several biblical understandings of what marriage is. i cannot believe that we are to judge others.

i did not believe that -- we should not take a word that means between a man and woman and make it something else. i do believe our country will continue to kirk from that -- to hurt from that. if you choose to have a civil union, don't call it a marriage. but it is not for us to judge. our creator will judge in this in the end. and we will live with that in the end. let me offer a few things. we have never tried now and desist -- six states and the district of columbia. nothing bad has happened. if anything, our country is more just and equal, especially for

those gay and lesbian americans that live in those six states in the district of columbia. marriage is a civil contract. what we are talking about is getting a civil marriage license from city hall. we are not talking about any kind of religious affirmation of key marriage. that is a bin at churches and synagogues are able to make their own decisions on. -- that is something that churches and synagogues are able to make their own decisions on. there are many bissett -- religions that are very welcoming. episcopal church is one example. what you're talking about is the granting of the key marriage license by several of institution. going down to city hall and getting your civil marriage license. i understand and on the caller's concept of not wanting to judge and wanted to treat all equally, at the end of the day, the only way that we achieve that is by offering all americans equal protection under

the law. and really only a civil marriage license when it comes to the recognition. it is important to hold on to the concept of wanting to protect all americans. i will continue to engage with the caller and all fair minded people on this journey but i would offer that if we are true to the concept of equality in this country and really wanting to treat a all-american equally and there is a thoughtful consideration of the issues at play and we do not want second- class institutions for some and different treatment, i think we eventually get to the argument that marriage as a civil construct is really the only way that our families can be treated equally.

host: fred sainz with the human rights campaign. hr.org, the web site if you want to find out more about their organization. thank you. joining us from kansas city, missouri. tony perkins. welcome. >> good morning. how are you? >> fine, thank you. looking at the state level of $4 this year -- initiatives for same-sex marriage, what you think about that number? >> we have seen 31 states over the last dozen years that have voted on this. 32 states in total have voted on some measure regarding marriage. we have two states iof thseese four that are voting on amendments. at minnesota, washington state,

maine and maryland on american amendment. it is pretty competitive. host: our previous guest talked about the need of having a definition of merit rather than civil union. give your take on that perspective. guest: we have had to go back and talk about what is marriage? what is the purpose of marriage? marriage has been recognized, the natural marriage as a unit of man and woman, the thought of that is generally children. marriages have gone and recognition from government because it benefits society. it is where children learn to interact socially, where they become responsible and resource will citizens -- resourceful citizens. the problem we have today with the change did the marriage policy that goes back about 45 years is that we have seen a

decline in marriage. an increase in the number of children born outside marriage. now reaching over 40%. that is a significant social impact and it has an economic impact. 63% of our non discretionary spending from the federal government, that includes the social programs and interest paid on our debt, is driven by the breakup of the american family. this is an economic and social issue. host: with a social conservative look at best to market -- fell from their issues have been thoroughly addressed on this campaign cycle? guest: i think so. at the forefront of the discussion is and to be the economy and jobs. nearly a quarter of the population is either underemployed or unemployed, looking for an opportunity to put food on the table, pay the mortgage, that should be an issue.

there is also a recognition that we will never have a strong economy and to go back to the basics of strengthening american family. that does not mean we spend billions of dollars more in terms of government programs. we recognize that a vital role between parent and child. a lot of these issues are best addressed at the state and local level. i think what social conservatives are looking for is not another president who will do a lot of social engineering and radical social policies like our nation's military but rather will defend america abroad and here at home, and will balance the budget, quit driving up the deficit. and allow families and parents to decide what is best for their children. host: 20 perkins joins us to talk about campaign 2012 issues. you can ask him questions if you like on one of the lines.

if you want to tweet us, it's cspanwj. email -- guest: we have been in almost 30 states and racked up miles and registered somewhere in the neighborhood of 500,000 new voters. and there is a key senate race here in missouri and todd akin against senator mccaskill. and been here doing campaigning

and move on to ohio this afternoon and speaking at a church in the morning at date and ohio and the eyes are focused on ohio. this election is going to come down to turnout. whoever can get there, their supporters to the polls to vote and i'm encouraged at this point. i have been traveling the country and i see a level of enthusiasm that i have not seen in the 10 years that i have been at the family research council. i voted early so i could be here . i stood in line for two hours to vote. there is a lot of interest and people that are looking for change in the upcoming election and casting their votes and it's good. it's good americans participate in the system. not everyone in the world has that opportunity. we do. a lot of people have sacrificed

in order for us to have that right and good for americans to exercise it. and it's just good that we do it. host: you mentioned akin, why does your organization support them especially with the statements they have made? guest: todd akin has been a champion for smaller government for the freedom and military. his son served in the united states military. he has been a great congressman and one we have worked very closely with. i'm not going to walk away from somebody from a 12-second sound bite, but i know what his intentions are and that is to protect all human life and that's the same position we have. richard murdock will make a

great united states senator. democrats' line, you are online with tony perkins. caller: i just had a question about your rhetoric about strengthening the families. how is it that gay marriage, how is it that they are taking away from the strengthening of the american family in? if a man wants to marry another man, i don't know, if he were to marry a woman and divorces, that would disrupt. and how is it that gay marriage is taking away from american families. i'm listening to your rhetoric and it is hiding discrimination. can you please explain that.

guest: what we have seen now is we have five, six states that have moved down this route mostly because of either the courts or in some cases state legislatures but never by the people. this atlantaers a lot of what we understand as a society. it's not just about two people who love each other or want to commit to each other but what is taught to our children in the public schools. children are taught that they are morally equal and that counters what many parents believe and are teaching their children. it pits the government between parent and child. and then we have seen religious

organizations that have refused to allow their centers of worship to be used for same-sex marriages and civil ceremonies lose their tax exemption. this isn't about what two people want to do, but affects all of society. we have seen here in maryland, dr. angela mccaskill, a 23-year veteran, first african-american woman, she is the diversity and inclusion officer there and signed a petition to allow the citizens of maryland to vote on marriage and she was indefinitely suspended. she's not the first. others have lost their jobs simply for exercising their constitutional freedoms of speech and religion. you can't say that this is just about what two people feel. this affects all of society.

host: gerald, independent line. caller: i believe gays have a chance to be married. and i was raised here in the boons and many people don't feel that way -- host: mary is next, republican line. caller: obama not wanting to save a baby if the baby is born alive, he would allow that child to die and that's murder. but nobody seems to be talking about that. and romney is for the child. pro-life. and another thing is, it's important to see the president walking to church every sunday.

every sunday you see him walking into church or out of church and we know his life is to god. and you never see obama going to church. so the role model issue is there also. so who do we want to see as a good role model for our children? host: we'll let mr. perkins take both of those. guest: where barack obama is on the life issue. there is a stark contrast on many issues, but this one. barack obama has staked out a position on abortion that even the most pro-abortion members of the senate have voted in the past for the born alive protection act when a child who happens to be born alive, even though an abortion was attempted that medical treatment must be

given to that child. barack obama voted against that. he is opposed to providing basic medical attention to a child who is born alive. that is a radical position. we have seen, as you mentioned earlier, akin and murdock saying they are radical, it's radical to see a helpless newborn child who happens to survive an abortion to be shoved aside in acorn to allow to die, to be forced to die. that's radical. and the issue of religion, i do think president obama has gone to church. that is interesting. the pew research polling on this shows that many americans, majority of americans want to see their elected officials have some affiliation with religion and recognition of god. i don't think obvious how far

that goes there is not agreement on that. in part, it's because they want to know that the leaders have some sense of accountability to a higher authority when they can't be watching the folks they have elected, they know god is watching. there is a desire in the country who want to see some religious affiliation and acknowledgement of god on behalf of our national leaders. host: does it matter that mitt romney is a mormon? to evangelicals? guest: that was an issue. when you look at evangelicals, they wanted someone who shared their religious and political views. mitt romney and i discussed this. we have differences when it comes to our view of scripture

and of god, but we have a very, very strong set of values. and it's the values that have been the focus. and that's why you have seen in the last several weeks a strong shifting of evangelicals to where now mitt romney shows over 70% of evangelical support. they are moving in his direction. granted in large part because of the radical policies of barack obama but mitt romney has been in the last six months emphasizing more of the shared values. and i think from what i have been hearing and the conversation that i have had across the country, evangelicals are comfortable with mitt romney and do think he will make a good leader. host: hollywood, florida, keith, democrats' line. caller: i would like to touch on a few subjects, basically, with

the gentleman. one being that mitt romney is a mormon. and i'm kind of glad that you touched on that. the evangelical catholics and christians who are sponsoring this gentleman do have the understanding of the divide within the spiritual aspect of the religion. that being said, i believe that the american culture has taken its time to actually separate america by their morals and values. and each individual household there are what you call a set of morals and values that we are raised upon. it is a known factor in the white race these morals and standards are built so that the children of that household are able to i guess you could say expand upon the opportunities in life whereas in the more urban

areas and areas that have not had that much support from the federal or local government also themselves are being very separated and i believe those are the american-born citizens outside of the race. host: what's your question? caller: my question would be this. being a person who i can see has a very sound mind, very intelligent person and holds public office, how can you logically stand behind a man who is against your spiritual aspects, as a conservative -- i'm not sure of your religious background, how can you support someone who is completely against the wholly conception of christ and say he is the best choice for office when naturally

morales are governed by god? guest: i'm southern baptist, and i have been on a number of pastor search committees, when i search for a pastor, i look for someone who is aligned with the theology and doctrine of the southern baptist church. i'm not on the hunt for a pastor. i have been searching for a leader that can lead america back onto the right track, get our country moving again economically but creating an environment that allows the private sector to keep jobs and keep us safe and treat our military in the way it should be treated. our military is there to fight and win wars and defend america. it's not a laboratory for social experimentation which this

administration has used it for. i'm not looking for someone who is aligned with me religiously. i was a supporter of rick santorum and we can do that and that is a natural inclination of evangelicals. but we want someone who shares our values in terms of the policies that will recognize religious freedom and importance of the family and the difference between the inner city families and he made some comment that the white family has more access to government support. what strengthens the opportunities the children have is that family unit, that mom and dad that they grow up. unfortunately what we have seen in the inner city, now at a point where 70% of our children in the inner city are being raised by single parents. they are missing that influence in most cases of a father. and that's important.

important both in the life of a girl and of a boy. for a young man, they learn how to control their masculinity and socialization skills from their father and that daughter from the father learns that sense of self-worth. it is one of the main factors in causing young girls to delay sexual activity until marriage because they have the acceptance of a father. the absence is the exact opposite. you don't have a father, you fall into the arms of someone who may exploit them. nothing can replace the family. no matter how much money we spend, $16 trillion to make up where the family has failed. host: there is a question off of twitter saying what do evangelicals feel about mitt romney being pro-choice before he ran for president?

guest: it was an issue since he first ran for president and he laid out how he has changed positions and i will say this. certainly my arms are open to those who have a change of heart on that issue and want to protect every child and welcome them into the world and protect them under our laws and that's fine. that's part of why we do what we do, we want to change hearts and minds. i'm not going to beat somebody back with a stick who says i now have your perspective on this or i'm closer to your perspective on life. i welcome that. i think and based on my conversations with mitt romney and what i have seen, that he is going to be pro-life as a president. that is not an area where i have concerns about his policies that he would support or advance as president. i do think he will be a pro-life president. host: there is a story that surfaced that an interview that

mitt romney and being asked about if life issues would be part of his agenda and he said something to the effect that it wouldn't. guest: you go back to george w. bush and wasn't policies he put forward but the congress. the congress has put forward a number of policies. the house of representatives has passed no taxpayer funding of abortion measure. it's died in the senate. if we see a change in the senate, akin and murdock elected, it will pass the senate and go to mitt romney. in many ways the president is more of the cheerleader for the country and helps facilitate these measures that come up through the people's

representatives in congress and that's the way it should be. not necessarily looking for mitt romney as president to go in and advance a set of policies. we have these policies coming up, and being blocked in the senate by senator reid, but now if we see a change in the senate, they will get to the white house and the president and i fully expect that mitt romney as president will support a number of measures, including a balanced budget or moving in that direction. we haven't had a budget in over 1,000 days come out of the senate. i think that will change with mitt romney. host: independent line from indiana. tricia. caller: my question follows along the same lines for mr. perkins. i'm glad to speak to you today that several other people have raised the issue of mormonism.

in my childhood and teen years, i was raised in the mormon church and i have a lot of knowledge about the true belief of mormonism that people don't know. my main concern as a christian now is that they do not believe in jesus christ as the son of god. and they believe he is a prophet such as their own joseph smith and that concerns me a great deal because i'm not prepared to deny christ. i believe the bible lays out specific -- what happens if you deny christ on earth. i would like to know your response to that, mr. perkins, thank you. guest: thank you for the call and i understand a lot of folks are wrestling with this. we aren't looking for a pastor in chief. we aren't looking for someone

who is going to drive the theology of the christian church here in america. and i agree. and mitt romney and i sat across from the table from one another and very blunt about this fact that we have significant theological differences and we have a shared concern about where this country has headed and we have folks that are hurting, do not have jobs, cannot make a living. we are seeing the implosion of the american family and the administration is trying to redefine the very institution of marriage. we have a shared set of values that we believe we help can reconstruct and help america get back on the right track. i'm not going to gloss over the differences that we evangelicals have with the mormon church, they are there. we have no greater partner in

california when prop 8 was on the ballot and passed a marriage amendment and one of the large partners was the l.d.s. church. it was a shared concern over these values that come from our faith. given the choice we have, barack obama, who as we have talked about here, does not have respect for human life, who has come out very blatantly, not in the gray areas, that he is for the redefinition of marriage, the choice is pretty stark. i don't think as a christian i have any other place to go than with mitt romney. and i'm happily supporting him based upon his policies. host: as far as people who are religious, social conservatives, tell a little bit about 2008 and

how they turned out and how that differs as we go to next tuesday. guest: i don't think there is any comparison. i have been here for 10 years. the political activity that i have witnessed was in 2004, late contested re-election of george w. bush but there were 12 marriage amendments on ballots across the country. a lot of grassroots support and lots of activity in churches across america. what i have been seeing in the last couple of months totally aclipes what i saw in 2004. people understand that america is on the right track. 2/3 of americans are saying that america is on the wrong track and evangelicals want to see the direction of this country change and out doing stuff.

we registered 500,000 new conservative voters and we are one of many organizations that have been doing that. i think this is going to be -- obviously it's going to be a close election, but i think we are going to see a strong turnout across america. guest: jim from south carolina, republican line. caller: you keep bringing up the aspect, do unto others. i would never get into that debate. from a ruling stand point or governmental stand point, since he brought it up, wouldn't that be the case, do unto sense, jesus would never say do unto others, in other words, yeah,

just understand people are lying, cheating, stealing, make that the governmental ruling. do you follow me what i'm saying? it blows my mind because it is illogical to the sense of what the bible talks about and what's mentioned there. can you bring that up real quick? how could in any sense of the word do unto relate to understanding home sk -- homosexuals better? >> i did not hear the previous exchange that took place but i can understand what the caller is saying, because i have witnessed that. as a christian, as an evangelical, one who has personally confessed my since to god and recognize that i need a

savior who is jesus christ who says i am the wy, the truth, the life. i have made that confession and i seek to follow him. religion and the bible is not a cafeteria and pick a little bit of this and that, you have to take the whole thing. you were talking about do not judge or love your neighbor. it says be holy for i am wholly. romans, chapter one, james, speaks to the issue of homosexuality as is foreign occasion. it is a sin against the body regardless. it's outside of marriage. in the social science and that's what we focus on is using the social sciences because what that shows is what society for september tries have followed in that teaching actually is right.

if you want to have a successful happy prosperous relationships in the family and in marriage, what you do is you preserve yourself until marriage. you and sustain from sexual relations and enjoy that married relationship, you produce children and there is a commitment between a mother and a father and expose them to the religious teachings. they do better emotionally and education neal and economically. i understand that's not -- everybody has not had that opportunity and we need to reach in as a community and reaching out and helping those that don't have that benefit. we should never take our policies and change them away from what we should be aspiring to be and the best environment for a child bar none is with their biological mother and

father who are in a life-long married relationship. those children attending church will do better than their peers in every category. host: a tweet who says evangelicals are supporting mitt romney not because of shared values but shared disdain for the president. democrats line. caller: i would like to raise the issue of abortion that was discussed earlier and i would urge mr. perkins to note that the supreme court has made it clear that the state can regulate and/or make illegal a partial birth abortion and that holding has been the same for almost 10 years now. and with regard to family values, you know, i was raised in a family of a heterosexual

couple and they are still married for 40 years but i identify myself as gay and i have been with my partner for over a year and want to instill the same values that our parents instilled in us with our children if we are given the opportunity to have children. you, yourself, mr. perkins say we aren't looking for a pastor in chief but a commander in chief. and the fact of the matter is while you are talking about policy, that will policy identifies with the christian biblical standpoint and doesn't represent all view points. how do you reconcile saying we aren't looking for a pastor in chief and yet you are asking the president to further only one particular policy that doesn't include an affirmation that provides equality for all

citizens of the united states? guest: marriage is not a religious institution but a natural institution. that's where we get one successive generation is from the pro creative act of a man and woman. we have 6,000 years of human history that overwhelmingly, without exception, marriage has been the union of a man and woman. but in all cases, it has been male and female. what we have seen in the last dozen years is this demand for same-sex marriage, how in the world can we see what we have seen in the last 12 years trumped the last 6,000 years of history? mitt romney is not adopting a religious perspective, it's the natural and natural historical

marriage. host: curt on the independent line. caller: i understand that a man and a woman are to continue the natural process. but what bugs me much is i don't understand gay condition is a sickness or illness or something. does anybody research that or is it possible to cure it? someone could say i could marry my horse or dog. host: let me add a tweet saying to you, mr. perkins, marriage is a religious or civil union.

guest: difference between humans and animals is we bond for life. most cases, animals don't do that, humans do. here's one of these issues that want to discuss. already an issue now in brazil, if we can redesign those who participate in it, two men, two women, how do we draw the limits? we are already seeing those filing suit to call for the recognition of polygamist relationships. if it comes down to consent, there is no logical way we can draw the boundaries at two people. we will have to open it up further and we have seen legal action in brazil where they are recognizing multiwill relationships and we are seeing a move for that in this country. and some experts say it is the

natural outcome. caller: guest: well, there are certain laws how these babies are supposed to be disposed of and that's been an issue in many of these clinics that have violated the laws. it is illegal in most places to take the life of an unborn child

or a child that is born alive and then take the life. that's what we were talking about. infant protection act, which the president voted against. so most states as one of the callers pointed out, the states have a lot of latitude in terms of protecting the unborn and they have taken steps. america is trending in the pro-life direction. we have seen consistent polls showing the majority of americans are pro-life. they're understanding because of technology and what's taken place that this is a human life. and over the last 40 years come january, we have seen 55 million americans unborn americans have lost their lines to abortion and americans are ready to change that. host: question about marriage, are american homosexuals not entitled to the pursuit of

happiness? what if marrying is part of that pursuit? guest: when we have the right to pursue our happiness it's to the point that it doesn't infringe upon someone else's and as i have stated clearly, what we have seen since the introduction and early on simply through the courts, the mandated recognition of same-sex marriage, we have seen a change in our curriculum and public schools to where parents have no control over what their children are taught. religious organizations that have lost their standing because they refuse to recognize and allow their facilities to be used for same-sex unions. this isn't just about two individuals or three individuals or whom ever pursuing their own sense of happiness, this is about fundamentally altering american society and our understanding of marriage and

family, religious freedom and the freedom of speech. dr. angela mccaskill lost her position after 23 years for simply signing a petition to allow the people of maryland to vote on marriage. tell her this is simply what people choose to do. this is about altering america. host: tony perkins family research council. thanks for your time today. captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> tomorrow, we will talk to republican and democratic strategists about the last 48 hours and the economy in the swing states. and then later discuss the role religion is playing this election season. gregory smith. "washington journal" with your

calls, tweets and emails live at 7:00 eastern on c-span. >> tomorrow on "newsmakers," we'll talk were debey wasserman schultz followed by republican conference chairman senator thune tomorrow on c-span. >> if the price in peace in washington is cutting deals, kick students off of financial aid or let insurance companies discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions or i'm not going to make that deal. i'll fight against that deal. that's a price i'm not willing to pay. that's not bipartisan. that's not change. that's surrender to a status quo that has hurt too many american

families and i'm not going along with it. >> it's within the power of the american people to choose their own future. we know what we need to know. you can stay on the path the last four years or choose real change. you know that if the president is re-elected, he will still be unable to work with the people in congress. he has ignored them, he has attacked them, he has blamed them. the debt ceiling will come up again and shutdown and default will be threatened again. the president can't change washington from the outside. we are going to put him outside, too. >> live coverage of president obama from chicago and mitt romney in boston and key congressional and senate states. look for live coverage beginning at 8:00 eastern on c-span, c-span radio and c-span.org.

now president obama and bill clinton in the battle ground state of virginia. they made the final campaign stop of the day. ♪

[cheers and applause] it was great to hear the dave matthews band again. but, as you can see, i have given my voice in the service of my president. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] >> but i have the honor of introducing the president tonight and setting up his speech. and i want to tell you that four years ago when he ran, both hillary and i worked very hard. we did over 100 appearances. but i am much more enthusiastic about barack obama's election tonight than it was even four years ago! [cheers and applause]

>> and there are five simple reasons. , in a trime torn by i had logical war fare and partisanship, he has the right philosophy. the president knows that we are all in this together and works a lot better than you're on your own. he knows that an economy that built the middle class and gives poor people an honorable way to work into it is a lot better than trickle down. we have been there, we've done that. [cheers and applause] >> he knows that it is better based on math better than illusion. and he knows that practical cooperation is better than all

this constant ideological conflict. and we saw it, didn't we? we saw it in the way the president got off the campaign trail and responded to sandy. [cheers and applause] >> and all over america, people were thrilled to see him working with the republican governor of new jersey and the mayor of new york city who is an independent and who endorsed president obama . [cheers and applause] >> and the democratic governors of new york and connecticut, turn the electricity on, to clean the debris, what i want to tell you is, cooperation works better when there is no disaster and if you don't have cooperation, you have the makings of a disaster.

barack obama is a proven cooperator. [cheers and applause] >> he offered the republican unilaterally in an attempt to get a budget deal, $1 trillion in spending cuts, they said thank you very much. no deal. we will not see one penny raised on the wealthiest americans even if it will get rid of $4 trillion in debt, but he kept going and the door is still open and when you re-elect him, the door will be open and they will walk through that door. [cheers and applause] >> the second reason that i'm for president obama is that he has done a good job with a bad hand. keep in mind, all through 2007 and 2008, then senator obama

crossed america with senator clinton and senator biden and other good democrats all talking about how bad the economy already was. median family income after inflation was the lower. poverty was up. all these things that mr. romney talks about now was true before the crash because of the policies he advocates. then came the crash, just six weeks before the election. and he took office when the economy was losing 800,000 jobs a month. now the economy lost jobs for about 15 months. but when it started again and president obama's jobs programs started kicking in in just 33

months, we have had five million jobs as of yesterday. [cheers and applause] >> when someone criticizes an office holder, you have a right to ask them, compared to what? let's look at our most recent comparison. if you don't count the losses and the crash against president bush and you just look at the seven years after the brief slowdown we had when the dot com stocks crashed a little bit and the onset of the crash in september, 2008. just that seven year-period, 2.6 million private sector jobs. in 33 months, less than half that time, twice as many jobs, 5.5 million.

barack obama has done a good job with a bad hand. [cheers and applause] >> the third reason i'm for him is that he has fulfilled his solemn responsibility to be a good commander in chief. [cheers and applause] >> he has advanced the nation's security by ending the war in iraq, by bringing our troops home from afghanistan, by fighting terror, modernizing the military and aggressively pursuing diplomacy to make a world with more friends and fewer adversaries. [cheers and applause] >> and he has a heck of a secretary of state! [cheers and applause] far more important, most important of all to me, he has

shown a consistent, unbreakable commitment to take care of the men and women in uniform when they come home. [cheers and applause] for all these reasons, he was endorsed by a self-described moderate republican and one of the most distinguished military leaders since world war ii, general colin powell. [cheers and applause] >> who also pointed out that his opponent's main advisers are the same neocons who talk us into war in iraq. barack obama is your choice for commander in chief. the fourth reason i'm for him

can best be described in a phrase once used by the second president bush, believe it or not. he said something i really agree with. [laughter] >> and he often got made fun of, but it's true. he said the president is the decider in chief, ok. let's look how these deciders stack up. barack obama decided to sign the lilly ledbetter fair pay act. [cheers and applause] >> and that is not just a woman's issue. anybody like me who was a kid in a family where both the mother and father worked knows the father with any sense wants his wife to be paid an equal amount for equal amount so they can

raise the kids. now this law has been on the books for a couple of years now. and when mitt romney who wants to be the decider in chief was asked, well -- boo! >> he was asked, governor, would you have signed the bill? [laughter] >> folks, going to have a lot harder decisions than this. [cheers and applause] >> you can't just shuffle along.

barack obama wants to keep funding planned parenthood and mitt romney doesn't. [cheers and applause] >> barack obama decided that america could not afford to let the automobile industry die, and he saved it and mitt romney opposed what he did. and now he keeps tying so many knots over this automobile deal, he could be hired as the chief contortionist for the circus. but he was against it. and i know something about this, i gue up in this business. and it wasn't just general motors and chrysler. there's a reason that all the german and japanese companies

that make cars in america who didn't get a penny out of this deal were for the restructuring because they knew that the manufacturers would go down and we are in all of this together. barack obama has made the right decision and his opponent was wrong. [cheers and applause] >> and in an unbelievable attempt to distract the voters of ohio where one in eight jobs depends on the car business, he accused the president of allowing jeep to move jobs to china. >> boo! >> i took that personally because the jeep plant was opened in toledo, ohio and i

remember how hard it was to get it there. i know they are expanding that plant, hiring more people, taking on new production lines. [cheers and applause] >> and first, jeep said it wasn't so. then chrysler said, governor romney was wrong. and even general motors rebuked him. when i was a kid and i got my hand caught in the cookie jar, my face started to turn red and i took my hand out of the cookie jar. not governor romney. he is just digging for more cookies. [laughter] >> when general motors and chrysler and jeep all said this is bull, what did he do?

he then said because fiat owns a controlling interest in chrysler, that the president had worked with the italians to move jobs to china. you know, folks, on the immigration deal and then a lot of other people and now he is going after the italians. if the irish are next, i'm toast. [laughter] >> far worse. after every single authority said this is a false charge, he put it on television and doubled down and put more money behind the ad because he believes that middle-class people are so scarred about their jobs and so uninformed that they will buy

any line of bull they see on television. i think you and they are smarter and barack obama will be elected president. [cheers and applause] >> finally and most important, i'm for president obama because he has -- his plans for the future are better. that's what really matters. and in sum, he will talk about this, but i'll give you a brief outline. he wants us to begin to invest even more in the new jobs of the 21st century and infrastructure and information technology and clean energy, manufacturing and modern agriculture. and he wants to educate and empower people to do those jobs. >> yeah! >> he wants to help middle-aged noncollege-educated workers get back in the mix by going to community colleges and getting skills that will get them good jobs.

[cheers and applause] >> and he has literally revolutionized the student loan law. from now on, beginning next year -- listen to this, every person in america who has a college loan beginning next year will, first of all, get it at a lower cost and will have the absolute right to pay that loan back as a low, fixed percent of their income for 20 years. [cheers and applause] >> in the last decade, we have fallen to 15th or so in the percentage of our young people with four-year college degrees. it means nobody ever has to drop out of college again ever because of costs. [cheers and applause]

>> one of the reasons middle-class people didn't get a pay raise in the last decade is that health care costs went up so much sm the health care law has not only allowed three million young people to stay on their parents' health insurance policy, and made it possible next year if he wins for 30 million americans many with pre-existing conditions to be insured. not only is it illegal for women to be charged more than -- women to be charged more than men in health care but we had the lowest inflation in health care costs in 50 years. if this keeps going, the y they will lose every argument to privatize health care. barack obama is doing it right here. bringing health care costs down

and health care and coverage up. [cheers and applause] >> finally, he has a budget based on arithematic. $2 in spending cuts for every $1 in revenue increases. i never had a nickel. and asked us in high-income groups to pay more to balance the budget and get rid of the debt and manage our future. now, how does that compare with governor romney's plan? you remember they told us at their convention that the debt was the biggest problem in the world, remember that? they forget to tell us that we never have permanent debt in peace time until they convinced everybody that government would mess up a two-car parade and no such thing as a bad tax cut.

and they tripled and quadrupled the debt before i took office in 12 years and i gave you four years of declining deficits and four years of surpluses. [cheers and applause] >> then they got back in with the same old theory that governor romney is advancing and doubled the debt again. so this should explain something to you. obama's plan brings the debt down and it is based on arithematic. what is romney's plan? highest income people, 60% tax cut and then cut education and cut the investments in all these areas that are going to create 21st september try jobs. repeal the student loan law, making the loans more expensive

and harder to repay. and keeping us down there in the rankings of college graduates. and don't produce a budget. you say, well, governor, you want to spend $2.5 trillion more than the president wants to spend. you want to cut taxes $5 trillion and he wants to cut taxes and you have only identified $1 trillion of tax deductions on companies that you want to repeal the corporate income tax. that leaves $6.5 trillion. how are you going to fill that hole? even if you fill it, you want to reduce the deficit a penny and reduce the long-term debt. how are you going to do that? see me after the election. [laughter] he has no budget. i want to vote for the president who has a budget, who has a plan

that will produce -- [cheers and applause] >> i want to vote for a president who has been a good commander in chief and good decider in chief. i want to vote for a president who has brought america out on the other side ready to take off. and lastly, just remember this, you know, governor romney has promised us 12 million jobs. you have all heard that. he said, by just electing me -- [laughter] >> people will be so elated that you are going to get 12 million jobs. now i'm sure it was just an oversight. [laughter] >> or as the president has told us, america is in the grip